The Role of Editing in Film Development, and Analysis of City of God by Fernando Meirelles - Essay Example

The role of editing in film development, an analysis of of God by Fernando Meirelles Introduction Developed by Fernando Meirelles in 2002, City of God is among the most successful Brazilian films. The plot in the film follows the development of a criminal gang in Rio de Janeiro’s suburb known as Cidade de Deus. The conflict in the film is systematic, the developer of the film strives to provide a factual and realistic representation of crimes, and the sale of drugs in real life as is the case in the Brazilian favelas. In doing this, the film developers employs a number of film development techniques coupled with the artistic use of such vital elements as characters, lighting, costume design, background music and camera movements among many others. The developers blend the diverse features of the film effectively thereby creating a cohesive film that communicates effectively through editing. City of God is an example of a film that portrays the power of editing among other film development techniques in creating films. Editing provides an effective way for the developers of the film to infuse diversity yet achieve a degree of both cohesion and coherence in the film as the discussion below portrays. Editing refers to the process of eliminating errors. However, the definition is broader in the development of films than it is in literature. In film development, editing does not only eliminate errors but also provides the developers of the film with an opportunity to add specific features that would enhance the connection of the various scenes thereby creating a cohesive and coherent plot capable of communicating specific themes. A number of scenes in the film are studio creations while others are shot on location. The fusion between the two creates perfect blend that tells a cohesive story, one that armatures cannot tell the differences in the locations. The director of the film employed professional editors who portray their editing genius as they add effects among other editing elements to achieve the cohesive film that communicates effectively. Editing plays an integral role in the creation of the film. Such features and elements as lighting, camera shots, camera angles, music and graphics among many others help add diversity in a film. In employing such, film developers must observe such basic concepts as balance and harmony in order to create a cohesive film. The same is the case in the film, City of God. While some scenes in the film were shot from locations, others are studio creations. Creating scenes in the studio requires appropriate editing techniques in order to balance the various features. In scenes where characters fire weapons, the film developers used appropriate graphics to develop the illusion of firing guns. The film begins with a flash back. The element requires effective editing techniques in order to blend a scene with another in order to depict a realistic flashback, as is the case in the film. In a beginning scene, a number of characters are preparing a chicken meal. One of the hens escape and the gang of criminals begins a chase. Rocket, one of the youngest members of the gang who believes that the gang wants to kill him, offers to kill the hen. From the scene, Rocket begins telling the story. Apparently, Rocket is the narrator of the story and, therefore, tells the story of his experiences. The scene changes from the one where the characters want to kill the hen to one that begins telling the story by showing Rocket’s incredibly poor background. The change from one scene to another portrays the preliminary editing features the developers of the film employ to enhance the structure of the film. Transition, which refers to the movement from one scene to another, is a strategy the editors of the film use to enhance diversity in the film. The editors use a number of transition techniques to move from one scene to another (Chandler 65). As explained earlier, the film begins with a flashback. This implies that the editors employ appropriate transition techniques to show the flashback among other intricate features in the plot of the film. The editors use such techniques of transition dissolve, cut, wipe and fade among others. A fade out for example systematically takes the audience from the scene where the characters want to kill the hen to the history of Rocket’s childhood. The transition occurs slowly in an attempt to portray the flip to Rocket’s memory through a flashback. The editors maintain the creativity as they use various transition techniques. In doing this, the editors select the most appropriate method of transition thereby heightening the action in cases where they need the action the most. Transition helps build suspense thereby sustaining the audiences’ interest in the film to completion. The editors of the film portray this as they place cuts among others at strategic aspects of the plot. Music is an important feature in film developments. The director of the film uses music strategically to enhance the action, suspense and to build mood in the various scenes depending on the actions in the various scenes. The process of infusing music to the film is an important role of editing. The choice of music coupled with the nature of its inclusion in a scene enhances the success of the film to communicate. The director of the film selected a number of appropriate songs that would enhance the thematic issues he strives to depict. Key among the songs used in the film are "Hot Pants Road" by James Brown, "Dance Across the Floor" by Harry Wayne Casey and “Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda" by Hyldon among many others. The director ensures the use of appropriate music as the soundtrack for the film at specific scenes thereby enhancing the mood and tension in the plot. Additionally, the editors vary the volumes of the songs at specific scenes thereby enhancing the actions. A film is a composition of various multimedia elements all of which communicate in their respective rights. Key among such elements, as portrayed in City of God, is lighting. Lighting performs a number of vital functions besides illumination. Lighting shows the time of day and even seasons in a year. The same is the case in the film with every scene enjoying appropriate lighting to help communicate the time of day among other vital features of the scene. The film climaxes with Rocket portraying the rot in the Brazilian police who collect bribes from the criminals and drug peddlers. The scene enjoys adequate illumination capable of revealing the covert activities of the police even as they collect the illicit money from the criminals and drug peddlers. Editing enhances the illumination of the scenes in the film. The editors of the film strive to achieve adequate illumination of the scenes especially those created in the studio. Additionally, the editors include a number of visual effects to enhance the film’s lighting. The various video effects enhance the reality in the film. Visual effects the director uses include the inclusion of appropriate computer generated graphics that resemble sources of light to enhance the illumination of the scenes thereby enhancing the clarity of the action in the respective scenes. The film has an exquisite mise-en-scene that enhances the central message. Misce-en-scene refers to the visual theme of the film. This refers to the portrayal of such vital features as lighting, costumes, set design, composition and space among many others. Every feature of mise-en-scene in the film complements each other thereby enhancing the cohesive structure of the film. The editing of the film ensures that the various elements contribute to the cohesiveness of the film. Set design, for example, refers to the props in a film. Such is a fundamental feature in the composition of a scene since it enhances the communication of every scene. The film opens with a number of characters chasing a hen. The hen, characters and setting are visible. The favela setting is appropriate for enhancing the message in the scene. The scene launches with a wide shot that covers the entire favela. The shanties are visible, and so are the various characters. The shot provides adequate background to help position the action in the Brazilian favela. The same is the case with costume selection. The director portrays his understanding of the importance of costumes in developing characters. Costumes communicate just as is the case with the several other elements in a film. Costumes help portray the economic class of a character. The film uses appropriate costumes to show the impoverished childhood that Rocket had. He maintains use of appropriate costumes to show the transition in the characters as they develop and interact with others. The favela setting, the climatic condition of the favela and the professional occupation of such vital characters as the police officers influence the costume selection for the various characters. The director strives to capture such important features of the film since they enhance the message in the film. The costume, set composition and set design complement the actors. The same is the case with the actors who must portray their professionalism and engage each other appropriately in order to depict the action as intended by the director. While editing may not change the characters, the director must select appropriate characters who portray a mastery of their roles as indicated in the scripts. Fernando Meirelles admitted having used amateur actors because he did not secure any professional actors. Despite such, he ensured that the actors played their roles effectively as described in the scripts thereby providing the film with a degree of uniqueness and originality. The two are vital features that enhanced the film’s success once it premiered both locally in Brazil and internationally. Conclusion In retrospect, City of God is among the exemplary films that portray the power of editing in enhancing the message and the ability of a film to communicate effectively. The director of the film employed professional editors who exhibited professionalism and therefore composed the various scenes and used appropriate film editing techniques to build a chronological sequence of the action in every scene. The editors used appropriate methods of transition to unite the various scenes thereby developing a chronological flow of the action in the film. Additionally, the used lighting and music to create a holistic film that communicated through the various multimedia elements. Works cited Chandler, Gael. Cut by Cut. New York: Michael Wiese Productions, 2004. Print. Meirelles, Fernando. City of God. Rio de Janeiro: O2 Filmes, 2002. Film. Read More